On Wednesday the 1st of August, the ACL’s Victorian State Director Dan Flynn participated in the Annual Monash University Pro-Vice Chancellor’s Public Debate to more than 150 people. The topic was on same-sex marriage.

Mr Flynn was on the negative team to answer the question “Should same-sex marriage be legalised?” He was joined by debater Gemma Buckley and Prof. Nicholas Tonti-Filippini of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family.

The affirmative team consisting of Sue Pennicuik MLC, A/Professor Paula Gerber and Ms Madeline Schultz argued among other things that since 9 out of 192 countries having legalised same-sex marriage (SSM) Australia was “falling behind”. They further argued that SSM was a human right that should be afforded to gay couples.

Gemma Buckley, first negative, took the position that marriage would confer no benefits to gay couples and that there was no discrimination remaining against them.

Prof. Tonti-Filippini contended that marriage was a biological institution involving mutual and unilateral obligations of motherhood and fatherhood that have a biological origin.

He said that this process of redefinition of parenthood would be a cause of great injustice to children denying them the right to know, to have access to and be nurtured by their biological parents, especially fathers but also mothers.

“We are in danger of creating another stolen generation,” he told the audience.

Mr Flynn stated that the power of marriage comes from a tradition that emphasizes permanence through monogamy and commitment for life.

He contended that legalising SSM is likely to reduce the commitment to permanence in the institution because the male gay culture is not a monogamous culture and gay activists have contributed to a view of marriage that is not so much about “till death us do part” but for as long as both parties find satisfaction in it.

Mr Flynn went on to develop the “grand bargain” (as coined by Prof. Robert George of Princeton University) being offered by revisionists, namely:

“We will accept your redefinition of marriage. You will respect our right to act on our conscience without penalty...”

Mr Flynn said that this bargain will never be honoured by revisionists except in the short term for tactical reasons to achieve marriage redefinition.

After detailing curtailments on civil liberties and freedom of conscience that will flow from redefinition of marriage, Mr Flynn pointed out that support for SSM has fallen from 62% to 50% from February to May this year and that 73% of people believe children are best with their biological parents.

Mr Flynn said that discrimination was removed against same-sex couples when the government changed laws in 2008.

The debate was followed by extensive question and answer session.

When a member of the audience challenged the importance of biological parentage to a child, Mr Flynn said that Elton John thought it mattered when he said that his son Zachery “will be heartbroken when he finds out he hasn’t got a mother”.